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Boston, MA
"Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis (As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us)" -- Boston Motto Boston, Massachusetts is the capital and most populous city in the state of Massechusetts in the United States. Boston is also the seas of Suffolk County (despite the county government having been disbanded in 1999). The city proper covers 48 square miles with an estimated population of 673,184 in 2016, making it the largest city in New England and the 23rd most populous city in the United States. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people. One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded by Puritan settlers from England in 1630. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston. Upon US Independence, it continues to be one of the most important ports and cultural centers in the United States. Overview Boston is the largest city in New England, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, and one of the most historic, wealthy and influential cities in the United States of America. Its plethora of museums, historical sights, and wealth of live performances, all explain why the city gets 16.3 million visitors a year, making it one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country. Although not technically in Boston, the neighboring cities of Cambridgeand Brookline are functionally integrated with Boston by mass transit and effectively a part of the city. Cambridge, just across the Charles River, is home to Harvard, MIT, local galleries, restaurants, and bars and is an essential addition to any visit to Boston. Brookline is nearly surrounded by Boston and has its own array of restaurants and shopping. Several historic sites relating to the American Revolution period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park because of the city's prominent role in the conflict. Many are found along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line of bricks embedded in the ground. Boston is an extremely diverse city. While more than half of the city's population is white, there are many Districts Boston is a city of diverse neighborhoods, many of which were originally towns in their own right before being annexed to the city. This contributes to a strong pride within the neighborhoods of Boston, and many people will often tell you they are from "JP" (Jamaica Plain), "Dot" (Dorchester), "Southie" (South Boston), or "Eastie" (East Boston), rather than that they are from Boston. Alternatively, people from the suburbs will tell you they are from Boston when in fact they live in one of the nearby (or even outlying) suburbs. If in doubt, you can look for "Resident Parking Only" street signs, which will identify what neighborhood you are in. Neighborhood nicknames are in (parentheses). * Allston and Brighton (Allston-Brighton): '''Located west of Boston proper, these districts (especially Brighton) are primarily residential, and are home to many students and young professionals. Brighton is abutted Boston College, which is the terminus of the Green Line's B Branch. The border between the two is a fuzzy subject of debate, so they are often considered as one neighborhood by outsiders. * '''Back Bay: '''This upscale area of Boston has fine shops, fine dining, as well as sites such as the Prudential Center, Copley Square, and Hynes Convention Center. * '''Beacon Hill: '''Once the neighborhood of the Boston Brahmins. Beacon Hill has real gas-lit street lanterns on many of the streets, as well as many original bricks dating back to age of the city itself. Because the Massachusetts State House is located here, "Beacon Hill" is often used as a metonym to refer to the state government or the legislature. * '''Charlestown: '''Across the Charles River to the north, this is the site of the '''Bunker Hill Monument. The traditional home of employees at the now-decommissioned Navy Yard. Recently it has experienced a shift in its population and industry and an increasing number of young professionals are joining the families who have lived in the area for years. * Chinatown: '''Great Asian food, great herbalists and next to downtown and the theater district. 4th largest Chinatown in the United States. * '''Dorchester ("Dot"): A large working class neighborhood often considered Boston's most diverse. It includes the JFK Library, UMass Boston, and many wonderful eateries. * Downtown: '''This is the hub of tourist activity with Faneuil Hall, the Freedom Trail, Boston Public Garden, and Boston Common. It is also the center of city and state governments, businesses, and shopping. * '''East Boston ("Eastie"): '''On a peninsula across Boston Harbor from the main bulk of the city and the location of '''Logan Airport. Several underwater tunnels connect East Boston to the rest of the city. Large Latin American population. * Fenway-Kenmore (The Fens, Kenmore Square): '''Fenway Park is the home of the 2004, 2007 and 2013 world champion Boston Red Sox. This area also includes a number of Boston bars, eateries, and the "Lucky Strike" bowling alley. * '''Financial District: '''Boston's business and financial center, this area has plenty of restaurants, bars, and tourist attractions such as the New England Aquarium. * '''Jamaica Plain (JP): A diverse residential neighborhood and home to Samuel Adams Brewery. Diversity is the strength of “JP,” as it is lovingly referred to by residents. Every ethnicity, socio-economic stratum, and sexual orientation is well represented in this neighborhood sandwiched primarily between Roxbury and the town of Brookline. The rich diversity in JP has created a strong character of social awareness and tolerance among neighbors and residents. * Mission Hill: A residential neighborhood, with a very large student population. * North End: '''The city's Italian neighborhood with excellent restaurants. It is also the location of the Old North Church. * '''Roxbury (Rox, The Bury): '''The historical center of Boston's African-American community. * '''South Boston (Southie): This is a proud residential neighborhood with a waterfront district and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on its north side. Home to one of the largest Irish and Irish-American populations in the country. * South End: '''Just south of Back Bay, has Victorian brownstones and a Bohemian atmosphere. Large gay population. Culture Parks Boston's park system is well-reputed nationally. Its 2013 ParkScore ranking tied with '''Sacramento and San Francisco for having the third-best park system in the country. Some famous parks include: Boston Common, Boston Public Garden and Franklin Park. The Arts Boston has been called "The Athens of Ameirca" (which is also a nickname for Philadelphia) for its literary culture, earning a reputation as "the intellectual capital of the United States". In the nineteenth century, Ralph Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others, wrote in Boston. Some consider the Old Corner Bookstore to be the "cradle of American literature", the place where these writers met and where The Atlantic Monthly was first published. Music is afforded a high degree of civic support in Boston. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the "Big Five", a group of the greatest American orchestras. Symphony Hall (located west of Back Bay) is home to the orchestra. Religion Boston has been a noted religious center from its earliest days. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston serves nearly 300 parishes and is based in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (1875) in the South End, while the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts serves just under 200 congregations, with the Cathedral of St. Paul (1819) as its episcopal seat. Unitarian Universalism has its headquarters on Beacon Hill. The oldest church in Boston is First Church in Boston, founded in 1630. Sports Sports and Athletics are like another religion in Boston. The city has four major North American professional sports leagues plus Major League Soccer. They include; * The Boston Red Sox: 'Baseball * '''The New England Patriots: '''Football * '''The Celtics: '''Basketball * '''The Boston Bruins: '''Hockey Transportation Logan Airport, located in East Boston, is Boston's principal airport. Nearby general aviation airports are Beverly Municipal Airport ''to the north and Norwood Memorial Airport to the south. Massport also operates several major facilities within the Port of Boston, including a cruise ship terminal and facilities to handle bulk and container cargo in South Boston and other facilities in Charlestown and East Boston. Downtown Boston's streets grew organically and so do not follow a grid-system. This makes navigating the city tricky for non-natives. Nearly a third of Bostonians use public transport to commute and their subway system operates the oldest underground rapid transit network in America. Other Events There are several major annual events, such as First Night, which occurs on New Year's Eve and was started by a collective of artists looking to have a New Years' party without the emphasis on alcohol. It has since become an extremely popular, citywide event featuring sidewalk sales, fireworks and other festivities. Another famous event is the annual Boston Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, the annual Boston gay pride parade and festival held in June and Italian summer feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints. The city is the sit of many events during the Fourth of July weekend, including the week-long Harborfest activities and a Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks. Climate Boston has a humid continental climate that borders of humid subtropical climate, or a temperate oceanic climate with some maritime influence. Summers are typically hot, rainy and humid while winters oscillate between periods of cold rain and snow, with cold temperatures. Spring and fall are usually mild, with varying conditions dependent on wind direction and jet stream positioning. Fog is fairly common, particularly in spring. Thunderstorms occur from May to September, that are occasionally severe with large hail, damaging winds and heavy downpours. Although Boston has never been struck by a tornado, the city itself has experienced many tornado warnings. Damaging storms are more common in areas north of the city. Landmarks * '''Boston Common: '''Storied, 50 acre urban park that hosted British troops during the American Revolution. * '''Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area: '''Sizable park featuring a Civil War-era fort, hiking trails, picnicking areas, fishing & more. * '''Bunker Hill Monument: '''Marking the Battle of Bunker Hill, this 221-ft. granite obelisk features 294 steps & scenic views. This monument was constructed as a ritual site for the city's sizable Witch population. * '''Boston Public Library: '''Historic library with grand, Redaissance-style architecture. * '''Boston Museum: Floating history museum with live reenactments, multimedia exhibits & a tea room. * Fenway Park: Historic, small-capacity baseball park, home of the Red Sox and the occasional big-name concert venue. * Granary Burying Grounds; '''Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are among the patriots buried at this storied site on the Freedom Trail. A popular spot for the local Witch population, especially those whose power comes from Ancestral or Community magic. * '''John Hancock Tower: '''The tallest building in New England, standing 790 feet tall. * '''Old North Church: '''The first church founded in Boston. * '''Paul Revere House: '''Revere's legendary ride began at this restored Colonial-era home, which includes original family furnishings. * '''The Sentry Statue Points of Interest * Albright Institute: '''A private foundation that gathers information about paragons for scientific research and study. * '''Bloodstone Curios: '''An antique shop. * '''Brown Derby: A restaurant that tends to attract a less than lawful crowd. * Faneuil Hall: Shopping center with many stores & restaurants comprising 3 historic market buildings & a promenade. * Fourth World: '''A nightclub rumored to have a portal to the Never. People say the owner has wings. * '''Freedom Trail: A 2.5 mile long path throughout downtown Boston that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. * Franklin Park Zoo: A zoo that includes a golf course and arboretum! * Go-Mart: '''This rapidly expanding chain of convenience stores can be found throughout the greater Boston area and the entire east coast. Most Go-Marts feature or are located near gas stations. They offer a variety of overpriced convenience items and foods, and are open 24 hours a day, the main draw for those in search of food late at night. * '''Infinity: '''A nightclub popular with paragons. * '''Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Evocative of a 15th century Venetian palace, this museum houses a world-class art collection. * Liberty Perk: '''A chipster offeehouse where patrons can sip lattes, cappuccino and espresso at the sidewalk tables. * '''Madden's: A chain of restaurants around Boston that serves American-style food in a cozy atmosphere. Madden's is popular with middle-class families and they always have a great selection of desserts. * Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: '''Neoclassical & modern wings house a cast collection from ancient Egyptian to contemporary American. * '''Museum of Science: '''Venerable institution with interactive exhibits, dome-shaped IMAX theater and a planetarium. * '''Neverending Story: '''A bookstore. * '''New England Aquarium: '''Giant ocean tank with over 2,000 animals. * '''Nova Communications: '''NovaComm is one of the country's largest cellular communications networks. Stores and kiosks with its familiar sunburst symbol are common throughout Boston and sell different models of cell phones. The company's digital network extends nationwide and continues to expand. * '''Public Garden: '''Tranquil, 19th-century urban park with boat rides, a lagoon, fountains and other sights. * '''Rath & Stromberg Investments: '''A brokerage house, it is one of the largest of its kind in Boston and one of the largest in America. The company, originally based in Bethesda, Maryland, moved to Boston eleven years ago. The brokers have a reputation for integrity and a history of solid performance rather than high-risk speculation also enhance the firm's worth with clients and the industry. * '''Shaughnessey's: An Irish brew-pub, decorated in brass and green-stained wood with liberal amounts of stained glass. The menu is mostly bar food and includes dozens of varieties of beer, many of which are produced by local microbreweries. * 'Toy's: '''A Chinese restaurant located in the Theater District, Toys is popular with the late night crowd and club-goers, since it's open until 3:00 am. It serves a variety of Chinese foods and has an extensive buffet. Superhumans Boston, despite the number of paragons operating in and around the metropolitan area, does not have a super team of any kind. In fact, paranormally speaking, Boston is considered to have low-activity. There ''was a group calling itself the Freedom League back in 2007, but one of their members was killed only three months after the group went active and they broke up. Since then, heroes tend to operate solo and even then, they usually only respond to natural disasters. Supervillain activity is rare and, as a result, a villain can strike and slip away before any heroes know what happened, if they know what they're doing. Most Bostonians who discover they have powers tend to move to New York, where they have a higher chance of "getting discovered". However, this has led to something of a gap in the city's heroic protection and the criminal underworld has started to take notice. Notable Heroes * '''Dr. Tomorrow, Guardian of Time: '''It's unknown where or when Dr. Tomorrow comes from, only that he lives in a large tower overlooking the bay that nobody ever remembers being built. He was a founding member of the Minutemen and ever since the team broke up, he doesn't tend to leave his tower unless "something dire to the timestream" is occurring. * '''Lady Liberty: '''A heroine who dresses like a Revolutionary war hero, with a domino mask and a rapier blade. She's the closest thing Boston has to a "flagship" hero, though you'd still be hard-pressed to find someone outside of Boston who's actually heard of her. * '''Lantern Jack: '''The mysterious guardian of Boston Bay, sightings of this mysterious entity go back to the Revolutionary War. He made an actual appearance in 2003 and since then, will occasionally appear to take vengeance on criminals in the docks area or when the city is in great need. * '''Nereid: '''A half-Atlantean about 16 years old today, Nereid is youthful, vibrant and a little inexperienced. Despite this, she works hard to be worthy of being called a hero. * '''Sentry: '''A superstrong, invulnerable speedster who was once Boston's champion. He was a founding member of the Minutemen, along with the original Lady Liberty and the others. He left the city entirely when the team disbanded, to the dismay and disbelief of the population. Notable Villains Like heroes, there aren't many "Boston Villains". More have started to come out of the woodwork lately, but we'll just talk about the famous ones below. * '''Black Star: '''While not a "Boston villain" by any means, Black Star is a native of Boston and received his powers during The Event. He was a villain of Sentry in the beginning, but after a few run-ins, he moved on the greener pastures. * '''Captain Kraken: '''A squidlike huanoid dressed like a pirate, he lives somewhere under Boston Harbor and will occasionally come to the surface to attack and rob shipping vessels, though there's no way to tell when he's ready to strike. * '''The Maestro: '''A former musical genius who went made trying to write the perfect symphony. He wields a Sonic Baton that is capable of a large number of functions and fights as if he's conducting a symphony. Considered a mad genius, he is said to live in the abandoned tunnels running beneath the city. * '''Mr. Mist: '''Considered an "old school" villain, Mr. Mist was one of the first supervillains on the scene and an early enemy of Sentry. He went missing sometimes around 2005 and hasn't been seen since. He's assumed dead but no body was ever found. * '''Taurus: '''A minotaur businessman whose crime family, under the front of the Labyrinth Copropration, has started moving on Boston. Taurus himself is immensely strong and invulnerable, among a few other handy magical abilities. 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